Mother Earth: What We Face Today and Tommorow
Fri, Jan 4, 2008
Welcome to the 15th and final post in the series we’re calling Mother Earth.
So far we’ve covered the big bang to the formation of
Earth, volcanoes, the early atmosphere, water, ice, the beginnings of life on Earth, some really interesting sea creatures, plant evolution,when fish began to walk, the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, the rise of the mammals, the evolution of man, the rise of civilization, and the Sumerians to the Ancient Greeks.
Today we’ll be keeping our sights on the modern world and discussing the environmental issues that affect us today and are likely to affect our future.
Let’s begin with an issue that’s been with us since prehistoric times.
Mass Extinctions
What’s next?
Most people who think of mass extinctions think about the end of the dinosaurs. It’s only logical, it’s the most well-known and mysterious examples of a massive die off of species in the earth’s history. Question many of today’s scientists, however, and they’ll say we’re very likely in the middle of a modern mass extinction, and the cause is primarily man. Obviously, extinction occurs naturally without man’s help, but the rate of extinction has increased dramatically, particularly in recent history. Before human intervention arrived, the fossil record suggests that species went extinct at the rate of about 1 species per million each year. That rate is now closer to 10,000 per 1 million. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, almost 11,000 species are known to face extinction in the immediate future. An estimated 27,000 species in the rainforests are driven extinct every year. And quite frankly, it’s really obvious we’re the issue here. Human development encroaches on animal habitats, driving them into smaller ranges and hurting their chances for survival. Agricultural expansion results in great swaths of forest being slashed and burned, helping drive unknown numbers of plants extinct. Who knows how many plants and animals will die in the near future? More importantly, what will be the consequence of their extinction?
Overpopulation
This is one of the most contentious environmental issues in the world, and has been for several decades. On the one hand, nobody wants to end up living in a Soylent Green style future where there is no space and we have to eat each other for sustenance. On the other hand, a lot of the wealthy western world’s rhetoric on population control seems to focus suspiciously on countries full of brown people and completely ignore their own countries. It’s really the height of hypocritical asshattery to suggest poor Indian women shouldn’t have children while you raise four kids in the suburbs. That being said, it’s an issue that we’ll have to deal with sometime. The real issue here is not the amount of people, but the amount of and distribution of resources. If there are too many people and not enough resources the excess people are going to die, and there aren’t going to be long lines of people lining up to off themselves for the good of the world. There are going to be fights to make sure the resources are controlled by certain groups so they can survive, and those who don’t win will starve. You can probably see why this is an issue of some import for the future.
Genetic Modification
This is an idea of genetically modified food many people hold, though it is completely wrong. Frog-oranges (froranges) were abandoned years ago in favor of toadgerines
There are groups of people who see this issue as the solution to the previous one, using improved crop yield and nutrition to help feed millions more people. There are also groups who see genetically modified crops, regardless of whether or not they could feed more people and save lives, as the problem rather than the solution. The most contentious issue in the genetic engineering argument, for now, is genetically modified food. In the EU especially citizens seem to be dead set against the thought of growing and ingesting genetically modified crops. They’ve even gone so far as to lobby African nations to refuse to accept genetically modified corn as part of food aid. You have to really abhor GM food if you’re telling starving people not to eat it. Despite the hatred many have for genetically modified organisms, others see genetic modification as the wave of the future. Whether it’s improving crop yield and nutrition or making medical breakthroughs (much of the insulin produced today is the result of genetically modifying bacteria). But is it playing God? There’s no scientific answer to that, only a personal one. I predict this to be one of the fiercest cultural and moral battlefields of the next 50 years.
Global Warming
The Greenland ice cap is rapidly melting
Ignore the next 50 years, this is one of the fiercest cultural and moral, not to mention scientific, battles right now. And make no mistake, it is a cultural and moral battle for most people now. Most of the people in the debate stopped talking about the issue in purely scientific terms ages ago. We’re now in the stage of the discussion where the term Nazi is bandied about by both sides without any real sense of shock. The hyperbole threshold was reached and breached sometime shortly before Al Gore turned his slideshow into a movie. People care about this issue for reasons completely unrelated to global warming by itself, be they economic, political, or what have you. That being said, my view of the scientific evidence points towards global warming being not just a reality but a man-made reality. Now that I’ve pissed off all the climate change sceptics, I can go ahead and write about the possible consequences we might face while they compose angry comments pointing out my various failings as both a writer and a man. Worst case scenario is we’re totally screwed. Global warming is devastating and we can’t stop it, the seas rise, drought ends agriculture, and everyone who doesn’t die joins biker gangs and recreates Mad Max. Not the good Mad Max movies either. Just the one with Tina Turner and the creepy dwarf who rides a gigantic mentally disabled guy. Best case scenario, we rein in our CO2 production and nothing bad happens, the green economy that’s beginning to grow covers any damage to the existing economy, and we all have a big hug. Neither of these are that likely. I personally think we’ll rein in production a bit, but global warming will continue. Then, necessity will start breeding invention like bunnies and we come up with a manmade solution to the manmade problem. I sincerely doubt we will all die. The mere fact that we could, however, makes this one of the most important issues we’ll face today and in the future.
Although the Mother Earth series has ended, there’s still plenty of great original content on everything on the Earth, and beyond, to come. The easiest way of keeping up is probably by subscribing to our RSS feed… and if you do that we’ll also give you a free album! What a bargain.
2 Trackbacks For This Post
-
5 Funniest Exotic Animal Smuggling Busts : Environmental Graffiti - environmental news blog Says:
January 28th, 2008 at 2:41 pm[...] smuggling is one of the most important environmental issues facing planet [...]
-
Top 4 Environmental Extremist Groups : Environmental Graffiti - environmental news blog Says:
January 29th, 2008 at 12:54 pm[...] First! is a radical environmentalist group that believes anything must be done in order to protect mother earth. Members of the group believe in biocentrism, the belief that every life of every species is [...]
January 4th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
3 things: 1: what do we do about overpopulation?
2nd, can you provide scientific proof that global warming is mostly Man’s fault, as opposed to what has happened over the past 4 billion years?
3rd, if you think Man is the cause, what are you yourself doing to stop contributing to the greenhouse effect?
January 4th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
William in response to your comments:
1 - Overpopulation.
We’ve all been worrying about this since Thomas Malthus brought the issue to the limelight in 1798 and geographers have been studying the issue in depth since. Unfortunately, if we look at the bigger picture it looks as if we are helpless, hower several interesting trends are taking place: most notably the fact that in developed countries, growth is taking place at an incredibly slow rate - in Italy it’s 0%. The population is geared towards getting a good career, living a comfortable lifestyle (kids are expensive etc). On the other side of the equation, the alarmists claim that a killer disease such the bubonic plague will strike and that’ll be Mother Nature’s way of control, or maybe it could even be global warming, which leads me on to your next question.
2. I think saying that global warming is mostly man’s fault is not correct, as you hinted. The earth is a complex ecosystem. Everything from volcanoes to cows farting have an impact. I’m no scientist - I could explain what I know and what I don’t but I don’t think I have the authority to dictate. I’ve wanted to find out more about the issues surrounding the environment and global warming and it’s partly why I set up Environmental Graffiti. With regards to this, I’d say two things - the IPCC reports are great if you want to find out about proof of man-made global warming. Secondly, I think it’s useful to look at it with a common sense approach: burning all that fossil fuel, 350 billion tonnes since 1751 cannot be good for the environment, neither can it be good for air quality.
3 - Thirdly, I do lots of things for the environment, including founding this blog! eating locally sourced food, recycling etc. My only sin is that I do take plane flights a couple of times a year. I believe that it is better to try at least some things, than stand around and be alarmist. However, it is also important to listen to other people’s arguments and scientific facts - that way it’s pretty hard to go wrong!
January 5th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Robert,
Thanks for the citation, even if it wasn’t exactly complimentary. But you’re right: the route to calling someone with whom you disagree a Nazi or a fascist is getting shorter all the time. Same goes for likening someone who disagrees with you to a Holocaust denier (see the UK’s George Monbiot and the US’s Ellen Goodman–on this issue alone).
I find your conclusions at the end of this piece entirely reasonable. What critics on both sides of the issue are dong is envisioning scenarios, not guaranteeing outcomes. The science is hardly settled either way–given the complexity of the various processes involved, I don’t see how it could be.
Where we are in complete agreement is in the belief (and I chose that word intentionally) that we can, eventually, ultimately, sort this out. Whether through giant fly-swatters (or is that lye-swatters?), or by discovering there is no problem at all (remember the fairly recent dire predictions of an impending ice age?).
Where we may disagree is on how “apologetic” mankind needs to feel. I think zero-population growth is a terrible idea, at least for now. Never mind who’s going to fetch our tea when you and I are in our dotage, who’s going to be around to fund your National Health or our Social Security? Will mankind truly be better off if the West stops breeding, while other parts of the world go forth and multiply? And why is it a “sin” to fly on an airplane, Chris? The real sin is the quality of the service for the price charged. Anyhow, if sin it be, Al Gore will be consigned to the lowest circle of Hell, like Inconvenient Führer he really is.
But there I go again.
Bloodthirsty Liberal
January 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Problem is… you are stupid. Sorry hate to be harsh, but seriously you gotta be dumb as a box of rocks.
1. No such thing as over population. Thats just Nazi Propaganda like the rest of this environmental nonsense.
2. Global Warming stopped 10 years ago.
3. The best thing that you can do for the Environment is burn more carbon because it is good for the Environment. CO2 and Nitrogen Oxides are plant fertilizers, all animals either eat plants or animals that eat plants. Increasing CO2, causes increased plant growth which causes more food supply, which is the reason that while the Worlds population is at an all time, we are fatter than ever.
Quit being a dumbass environmentalist nazi and just look at the facts, jack.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Johhny B, I can’t tell if you’re trying to be ironic with the whole nazi thing or if you’re really comparing wanting to fight climate change with the holocaust. get back to me, i’m interested. Also, i think people think i’m in favor of zero-population growth and that i think everything is overpopulated. We’re not overpopulated now at all, and I don’t really believe in population control measures. I was mostly thinking of the future, and it’s based less on me thinking there will be too many more people born than me thinking there will be far fewer resources to go around. We’re already seeing huge issues over water use and distribution, and thats going to start affecting agriculture and in turn the population.
January 7th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
LOL Humans have survived many catastrophic climate changes, even long before we had the technology to take most of the suffering out of it. (I have a theory that a lot of the best and worst of Aryan characteristics can be traced by to a bottleneck during the last Ice Age.) I have no doubt that whichever way the climate goes, a genetically diverse group will survive.
My complaint about the current hysteria is that is focuses on the wrong things. CO2 is, honestly, one of the least of our worries. I get so annoyed when I see things like “Global Warming is Killing Tropical Fish”. Oh, so a minor adjustment in temperature is to blame and not the non-sustainable way we harvest our food. SHEESH people. It’s not like temperature change is new. Really. I’m serious. Do some research. Species have adapted before. The difference is that now the changes are accompanied by human depredation at historically high levels and the system is compromised by the toxins we have been spewing into the giant sewer we call an ocean for a millennia or so.
“Global warming” has become the scapegoat of all our bad behavior and the GW cultists would have you believe that we can just say a few “Hail Marys” in the form of buying new fuel efficient cars and turning off lights and everything is going to be okay.
NO, IT IS NOT! We need to make huge changes in our behavior and rethink the design of our communities and our consumption and our race to fill the planet with more people. We need to de-centralize, producing more of our food locally to protect against the most severe consequences of climate change and to assist in cutting back all pollution, not just CO2. We need denser housing, fewer cars, less commuting, and tons and tons less consumption.
Bah! I don’t know why I bother. Been saying the same thing for decades and no one has listened yet.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
If you are really interested in saving the world, read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It outlines all the problems described, and explains how it came to be this way. It also explains why nothing we do to “fix” the problem is going to work.
You can’t use a band-aid to stop the bleeding from a wound that needs stiches.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:36 am
oh my god!if peopole will not stop destroying the atmosphere.global warming will be more dangerous. all the ice land in antartica and atlantic will be melt and all the mankind will be gone!